Fashion Cheat Sheet

05.13.13

Richard Branson Dons Drag; Suri Cruise Is Not Launching a Fashion Line

and Terry Richardson's limbs star in Valentino's new ad campaign.

Richard Branson Dons Drag: Sir Richard Branson, founder and chairman of Virgin Group, dressed head-to-toe in drag on Sunday after losing a bet made in 2010 to AirAsia Group CEO Tony Fernandes over the magnates' Formula 1 racing teams in the Formula 1 Grand Prix race in Abu Dhabi. Branson posed as a flight attendant on a special AirAsia X Charity flight wearing a skirt and matching jacket, fishnet stockings, fake eyelashes, and a bright shade of red lipstick. "This has been a real first for me but I have enjoyed the experience and I have nothing but respect for what our fabulous flight attendants do every day to keep us safe," Branson said afterward. According to a statement issued by AirAsia, he also served passengers drinks, meals, and made several in-flight announcements. [CNN]

Terry Richardson's Valentino Campaign: Photographer Terry Richardson's inked-up forearms will star in Valentino's fall accessories ad campaign, which launches today in fashion magazines around the world. The ads feature Richardson's hands displaying the label's studded handbags and heels. This marks the first time Valentino has collaborated with Richardson. [WWD]

No Clothing Line for Suri: Last week’s report in The Sun that 7-year-old Suri Cruise, daughter of Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes, inked a multi-million dollar deal to launch her own fashion line, has been proven false. Holmes's spokesperson confirmed to British Vogue that the rumors surrounding her daughter's clothing collection were “100 percent” untrue. [British Vogue]

Fashion on Wheels: Mobile boutiques are on the rise. A new report in The Wall Street Journal details an influx of retailers selling clothing, jewelry, and accessories out of trucks at flea markets, private events, and on the street. Some of the businesses are facing obstacles from city regulators that restrict the number of peddlers in public places, but still, the newspaper writes, the mobile fashion truck industry is growing. According to Stacey Steffe, one of the founders of Le Fashion Truck in Los Angeles, The American Mobile Retail Association has grown from five members in California in 2011 to about 70 nationwide. [WSJ]

Orthodox Brooklyn School Bans Hipster Glasses: An Orthodox Jewish school in Brooklyn has banned retro glasses with thick frames. According to the New York Post, students at Bobover Yeshiva B'Nei Zion in Borough Park have been asked to exchange their modern frames for more "simple" glasses that are frameless and semi-rimless. A letter was drafted on behalf of the school to parents of students: "We are asking that everyone buy simple glasses," it reads. "What we have to commit ourselves to is we have to stand on top of this and not tolerate the new modernism." [New York Post]